Understanding the French Subjunctive
Most of what you have learned so far is in the indicative mood, used to express factual, certain information. The subjunctive mood expresses emotional, subjective information. English makes limited use of the subjunctive, but it can be heard in sentences such as “I wish it were not raining,” and “It is necessary that you be on time.” To help keep it straight in your head, think of the subjunctive as an emotive expression. It is quite often used with phrases like “wish,” “hope,” and “doubt,” to express desires, opinions, or uncertainties.
The subjunctive construction consists in general of a main clause that expresses doubt, desire, or opinion, and a subordinate clause with a verb in the subjunctive form, preceded by
He doubts that we will be on time. |
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He wants you to be happy. |
The subjunctive itself does not necessarily carry any specific meaning; it simply points out an element of subjectivity or doubt. In the subordinate clause, the fact that the subjunctive is used tells you that the statement is not factual. It is based on the main clause, which is an expression of the desire, doubt, or opinion of the subject.
The subjunctive mood is very much an advanced construction, and mastering it will put you well on the way to full fluency. Even if you're not comfortable using it, you should at least be able to recognize when other people are using it.
The subjunctive mood is used only when the main clause has a different subject from the subordinate clause. If the two clauses use the same subject, the subjunctive clause is grafted onto the main clause using infinitives, much like we tend to do in English.
He wants me to finish my homework. |
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I want to finish my homework. |
If the sentence does not have an element of doubt or subjectivity, the subjunctive is not used; the sentence is cast in the regular indicative mood, relating a fact.
He knows that we will finish in time. |
